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New This Week on NASET

The Practical Teacher

College Planning for the Child with Special Needs: A Parent and Teacher Collaboration

If you are working with parents of young children with special needs, college preparation is probably the furthest thing on their mind as they attempt navigate the confusing labyrinth of special education under The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and America's failing public education system. However, your third grader with learning deficits or fourth grader on the Spectrum today, will be a high school student tomorrow in a blink of an eye. A college degree is not for everyone; especially today when many blue color professionals and tradesmen/women are making more than the college educated. It is not uncommon to pay much more for household electrical or plumbing services than it is to go see your family physician. With that being said, a college education is an admirable and attainable goal for most, even the student with special needs. This issue of NASET's Practical Teacher was submitted by Dr. Michael A. Grimaldi. It will address college planning for the child with special needs.

Many times parent of children diagnosed with perceptual problems, processing disorders etc will be told that their children have problems in visual and auditory areas and that is the reason why they have problems learning. However, most parents have no idea what this means or the different skils that make up visual and auditory perception. This Parent Teacher Conference Handout explains in simple terms those areas covered under Visual Perception and Auditory Perception. -

FDA Warns of Fake Version of ADHD Drug Adderall

A counterfeit version of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug Adderall, sold online, contains the wrong active ingredients, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Adderall is also used to treat narcolepsy. The drug, made by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, is currently in short supply in the United States. The counterfeit versions of Adderall are ineffective and potentially harmful, the FDA warned last Tuesday. Authentic Adderall contains four active ingredients: dextroamphetamine saccharate, amphetamine aspartate, dextroamphetamine sulfate, and amphetamine sulfate. Preliminary laboratory tests by the FDA found that the counterfeit version being sold as Adderall 30-milligram (mg) tablets contains tramadol and acetaminophen, ingredients in medicines used to treat acute pain. To read more, click here

Did You Know That....

Conduct disorder is a psychological disorder diagnosed in childhood that presents itself through a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate norms are violated. These behaviors are often referred to as "antisocial behaviors.

Smoking During Pregnancy Linked to Severe Asthma in Teen Years

African-American and Latino children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from acute asthma symptoms in their teens than asthma sufferers whose mothers did not smoke, according to a new study led by a research team at UCSF. In an analysis of nearly 2,500 Latino and African-American children with asthma, the researchers found that children between age 8 and 17 with acute asthma symptoms were far more likely to have had mothers who smoked during pregnancy, even when the team controlled for elements such as education, socioeconomic level and childhood exposure to tobacco smoke. "If women smoked while pregnant, their children had about a 50 percent increase in uncontrolled asthma, even when we controlled for current tobacco exposure," said Sam S. Oh, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral scholar in epidemiology at the UCSF Center for Tobacco Research and Education, who is first author on the paper. "Kids who are 17 years old still show the effects of something they were exposed to during the first nine months of life." To read more, click here

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NASET MEMBER'S BENEFIT- Board Certification in Special Education Available to NASET Membe

Through an agreement with The American Academy of Special Education Professionals(AASEP), NASET members now have the opportunity to achieve AASEP Board Certification in Special Education - (B.C.S.E.) at a reduced fee. AASEP Board Certification in Special Education - (B.C.S.E.) is a voluntary choice on the part of the candidate. The candidate for Board Certification wishes to demonstrate a commitment to excellence to employers, peers, administrators, other professionals, and parents. From the standpoint of the Academy, board certification will demonstrate the highest professional competency in the area of special education. Board Certification in Special Educationestablishes a much needed standard for professionals, across disciplines, who work with exceptional children.

For more information on Board Certification in Special Education, click here

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Disability From Juvenile Arthritis Hurts Adult Job Prospect

Adults with high levels of physical disability caused by juvenile arthritis have difficulty getting good jobs, a new study says. Chronic arthritis that occurs in people younger than age 16 is called juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Aggressive, early treatment can benefit patients, but some have long-term joint damage, disability and reduced quality of life. Adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis have much higher rates of unemployment than other adults, and the reasons for this have been poorly understood, said Dr. Ajay Malviya, a consultant orthopedic surgeon at Newcastle Upon Tyne National Health Service Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom. To read more, click here

Memory Training Unlikely to Help in Treating ADHD, Boosting IQ

Working memory training is unlikely to be an effective treatment for children suffering from disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity or dyslexia, according to a research analysis published by the American Psychological Association. In addition, memory training tasks appear to have limited effect on healthy adults and children looking to do better in school or improve their cognitive skills. "The success of working memory training programs is often based on the idea that you can train your brain to perform better, using repetitive memory trials, much like lifting weights builds muscle mass," said the study's lead author, Monica Melby-Lervåg, PhD, of the University of Oslo. "However, this analysis shows that simply loading up the brain with training exercises will not lead to better performance outside of the tasks presented within these tests." The article was published online in Developmental Psychology. To read more, click here

Did You Know That....

The majority of research on conduct disorder suggests that there are a significantly greater number of males than females with the diagnosis, with some reports demonstrating a three-to-fourfold difference in prevalence. However, this difference may be somewhat biased by the diagnostic criteria which focus on more overt behaviors, such as aggression and fighting, which are more often exhibited by males.

Lehigh University Special Education Law Symposium, June 24-29, 2012

Lehigh University's intensive week-long special education law symposium provides a practical analysis of legislation, regulations, and case law relating to the education of students with disabilities. The symposium provides a thorough analysis of the leading issues under the IDEA and Section 504. Special features include: parallel tracks for basic and advanced practitioners, starting with a keynote dinner and presentation by Dr. Alexa Posny, Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education, and ending with a post-luncheon crystal-ball session by Chicago attorney Darcy Kriha; a balance of knowledgeable district, parent, and neutral perspectives; essential topics with proven effective presenters for the basic track; and a brand new set of "hot topics" and faculty presenters for the advanced track.For more information visit http://www.lehigh.edu/education/law. Questions? Contact Tamara Bartolet (tlp205@lehigh.edu or 610/758-3226).

Antioxidant Shows Promise as Treatment for Certain Features of Autism

A specific antioxidant supplement may be an effective therapy for some features of autism, according to a pilot trial from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital that involved 31 children with the disorder. The antioxidant, called N-Acetylcysteine, or NAC, lowered irritability in children with autism as well as reducing the children's repetitive behaviors. The researchers emphasized that the findings must be confirmed in a larger trial before NAC can be recommended for children with autism. Irritability affects 60 to 70 percent of children with autism. "We're not talking about mild things: This is throwing, kicking, hitting, the child needing to be restrained," said Antonio Hardan, MD, the primary author of the new study. "It can affect learning, vocational activities and the child's ability to participate in autism therapies." To read more, click here

NASET Sponsor - Arkansas State University

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Guess the answer to this week's trivia question and we'll recognize you in next week's Week in Review.

Congratulations to Joanie Dikeman, Haile, Marilyn, Shan Ring, Vicky Gill, Jessica L. Ulmer, Beverly Taylor, Marlene Barnett, Olumide Akerele, Marlene Damery, Prahbhjot Malhi, Craig Pate, Emily Oliver, Elaine Draper, Victoria Eversole, who knew the answer to last week's trivia question:Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under 5 in the world

THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION:

According to an annual list produced by United Cerebral Palsy, certain state Medicaid program provide better services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities than others. The annual list compares services and quality of life for people with disabilities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Although Michigan, California, New Hampshire and Vermont came in at the top of the list this year, only one state finished as the highest performer. Which state finished as the highest performer for providing state Medicaid programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities?

All answers must be submitted no later than Monday, June 11, 2012 at 12:00 p.m

Preteen Food Choices May Help Predict Eating Disorders Later

The food choices young girls make could help doctors predict if they are at risk for developing an eating disorder as teenagers, according to a new study that analyzed food diaries compiled over the course of a decade. "The study is rare in that it's based on long-term observation of girls during their transition from pre-puberty through adolescence and into early adulthood," said the study's lead author, Abbigail Tissot, associate director of the division of behavioral medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, in a medical center news release. "This study tells us at what age we should be watching for these eating behaviors, giving parents and physicians useful tools for detecting girls at risk for future eating-disorder symptoms," she said. To read more, click here

Children Exposed to the Common Pollutant Naphthalene Show Signs of Chromosomal Damage

According to a new study, children exposed to high levels of the common air pollutant naphthalene are at increased risk for chromosomal aberrations (CAs), which have been previously associated with cancer. These include chromosomal translocations, a potentially more harmful and long-lasting subtype of CAs. Researchers from the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Medical Center, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report the new findings in Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. To read more, click here

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Re-Routing Spinal Cord Signals Restores Movement in Paralyzed Rats

In research that hints at new ways to tackle paralysis, a combination of drugs, electrical stimulation and "willpower-based training" prompted paralyzed rats to walk and even run.

But experts noted the treatment might not necessarily work in humans. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology re-routed signals from the rats' brains to their spinal cords with chemical injections, electrodes and a chocolate reward that motivated them to walk voluntarily, supporting their entire weight on their hind legs. "We expected that the rats would recover some degree of locomotor functions. We were, however, surprised about the extent of the recovery -- paralyzed rats were able to pass obstacles and run up stairs -- and the consistency with which we observed it," said study co-author Janine Heutschi, a doctoral student at the institute. To read more, click here

New Effective Treatment for Tinnitus?

A team of researchers from Maastricht, Leuven, Bristol and Cambridge demonstrated the effectiveness of a new tinnitus treatment approach in the journal The Lancet. Tinnitus is the perception of a noxious disabling internal sound without an external source. Roughly fifteen percent of the population suffers from this disorder in varying degrees along with the associated concentration problems, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression and extreme fatigue. Sometimes this disorder is so disruptive it seriously impairs their daily functioning and, unfortunately, there is no cure. The research conducted by Rilana Cima and her colleagues, however, indicates that cognitive behavioural therapy can help improve the daily functioning of tinnitus patients. To read more, click here

Fever During Pregnancy May Raise Odds for Autism in Offspring

Women who develop fevers while pregnant may be more than twice as likely to have a child with autism spectrum disorder or another developmental delay, a new study suggests. Exactly how, or even if, fevers may increase the risk for autism is unknown, and experts were quick to say women should not panic if they do develop a fever while pregnant because taking fever-reducing medications cuts the risk. One in 88 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is an umbrella term for developmental disorders that can range from mild to severe and that often affect social and communication skills. Little is known about what causes autism or precisely why rates seem to be increasing. To read more, click here

Researchers Have Created Glasses That Indicate Obstacles to Patients With Visual Handicaps

People with moderate visual impairment, particularly those who have difficulty perceiving the full extent of their surroundings, could use the ingenious device that these UC3M scientists have created. "This device is aimed at people who would bump into everything that they fail to see because of their loss of visual field, caused by glaucoma, retinal pathologies, etc.," states the head of the project Professor Ricardo Vergaz, of UC3M's Electronics Technology Department. The prototype was developed using an HMD device (Head Mounted Display), a virtual reality helmet that includes two cameras to which a small computer has been attached; the computer processes all of the images that it receives. Then, thanks to an algorithm that the researchers have developed, the system determines the distance and outline of the objects and communicates the information to the user in real time using two micro screens, highlighting the silhouette of the elements in the scene and varying the colors according to their distance. To read more, click here

DSM Committee Takes Heat Over 'Mental Retardation' Update

As experts behind a forthcoming update of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders look to revise psychiatry's definition of "mental retardation" their efforts are becoming unexpectedly contentious. Under a draft that's currently open for public comment, experts working with the American Psychiatric Association are proposing that the name of the diagnosis be changed to "intellectual developmental disorder." What's more, they're looking to give more discretion to clinicians by putting less emphasis on IQ. While people qualifying for the diagnosis would still be required to score at least two standard deviations below average on such assessments, there would no longer be a bright-line IQ requirement of 70 or under. To read more, click here

Did You Know That....

ADHD is the condition most commonly associated with conduct disorders, with approximately 25-30% of boys and 50-55% of girls with conduct disorder having a comorbid ADHD diagnosis.

UCLA geneticists have identified the mutation responsible for IMAGe syndrome, a rare disorder that stunts infants' growth. The twist? The mutation occurs on the same gene that causes Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which makes cells grow too fast, leading to very large children. Published in the May 27 edition of Nature Genetics, the UCLA findings could lead to new ways of blocking the rapid cell division that allows tumors to grow unchecked. The discovery also offers a new tool for diagnosing children with IMAGe syndrome, which until now has been difficult to accurately identify. The discovery holds special significance for principal investigator Dr. Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics, pediatrics and urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. To read more, click here

Doubt Cast on Usefulness of 'Sensory' Therapies for Autism

Sensory therapies using brushes, swings and other play equipment are increasingly used by occupational therapists to treat children with developmental issues such as autism, but a large pediatricians organization says there isn't much evidence that such therapies actually work. Still, the group isn't completely discounting the potential of sensory therapies -- it's a ripe area for research, it noted. But before parents spend the time and money on taking children to sensory therapy, they should know that, as of now, the techniques are largely unproven. "It's OK for parents to try these types of therapies, but there is little research backing up the effectiveness of these therapies and whether or not they improve long-term outcomes for kids with developmental disabilities," said Dr. Michelle Zimmer, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. To read more, click here

NASET Sponsor - Arkansas State University

Discovery Expected to Shift Research Direction in Lupus and Asthma

Newfound details of the immune system suggest a role for never-before-considered drug classes in the treatment of allergic and autoimmune diseases, according to a University of Alabama at Birmingham study published online May 27 in Nature Immunology. The results advance the current understanding of the way the body's initial, vague reaction to any invading organism expands into a precise and massive counterattack. That expansion starts when a dendritic cell "swallows" a piece of any invader encountered, ferries it to the nearest lymph node and presents it there for notice by lymphocytes, the workhorse cells of the immune system. According to the current model, dendritic cells first must encounter T lymphocytes in the paracortex, or T cell zone, within the node. Only there will the interaction enable lymphocytes to expand into an army of clones primed to attack the invader. To read more, click here